Exclusive: Ghost Rider & Blade Are Fighting Hell Itself

The war between Heaven and Hell is about to be won – unless Marvel’s Spirits of Vengeance manage to stop it. That’s the story that’s been told in the limited series so far, uniting the supernatural abilities of the original Ghost Rider, the half-breed vampire Blade, and the children of Satan himself, Daimon and Satana Hellstrom. And thanks to our exclusive preview of Spirits of Vengeance #4, it looks like the heroes have half a lead on how to prevent demons from slaughtering their angelic brethren once and for all.

The problem, which should be obvious, is that killing angels is incredibly difficult. Killing Michael the Archangel, even harder. Which is why the Spirits of Vengeance series has hinged on the weapon needed to make it possible. Forged from the silver that bought Judas Iscariot’s soul, the final summit between Angels and Demons fast approaches. In Issue #4, the heroes will get the same answers as the reader – and even more new lore surrounding the ancient feud between Marvel’s Heaven and Hell.

With three issues under its belt, Spirits of Vengeance has developed at a steady pace. First an angel seeks out Johnny Blaze to deliver a clue, and a silver bullet capable of killing it. Blaze seeks out Satan’s hero-leaning son, Hellstrom. The pair recruit Blade to help with the dirty work of uncovering this demonic plot (by, you guessed it, killing many demons). And most recently, Daimon’s sister Satana has been roped in to the adventure as well. Her motivations and rivalry with Daimon are finally going to be explored in Issue #4, judging by the preview pages.

Take a look at the preview pages below:

As the first images reveal, the craftsman responsible for turning Judas Iscariot’s thirty pieces of silver into one massive weapons will face the music. That’s Ragnar the Dwarf, continuing in Marvel’s tradition of entrusting only the finest dwarf smiths with weapons of cosmic significance. The most famous example being the dwarves who forged Mjolnir for Odin and Thor, also the embodiment of everything that gives Ragnar the chip on his shoulder. In previous issues, his ability to forge evil itself was shown to be fueled by envy for the dwarves who crafted more beautiful weaponry for the Asgardians.

Issue #3 ends with Ragnar’s work finally finished, all thirty pieces melted into one weapon capable of killing Michael the Archangel. Thankfully, he also offers more details than this preview shows. The same goes for the evil sorcerer who found the silver and hired Ragnar in the first place: Necrodamus. But if the villain had intended to merely supply the demons attending the Heaven/Hell summit with the weapon, and reap the rewards, he was mistaken. How he intends to pull off the attack himself, like the location of the meeting, are mysteries that will only be revealed in the issue’s full version.

Hopefully this momentum building to the Angel/Demon showdown will continue on the Supernatural/Constantine-esque narrative to this point. Beyond the obvious satisfaction of seeing Blade and Ghost Rider fight as a team, writer Victor Gischler has peppered the series with small moment to delight fans of each character. Whether that’s Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare killing helpless demons, or Blade ending a demonic threat with a single thrust of his knife, the heroes have seen little actual resistance.

If the coming battle is one to make even the son of Satan procrastinate… that’s probably about to change. Here’s hoping this new Spirits of Vengeance team can survive their first mission (and, you know, keep Marvel’s Earth from being taken over by Satan and his demonic army).

Check out a full synopsis for the issue below:

SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #4

Published: January 10, 2018

Writer: Victor Gischler

Art: David Baldeon

Cover Artist: Dan Mora

WAR AT THE GATES OF HELL PART 4! Necrodamus’ forces mean to upset the balance and cause a deicidal rampage not seen since the Old Testament! The drums of war beat louder and louder, and the Spirits of Vengeance are the only thing standing between the armies of heaven and hell!